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The Role of Women in Judaism Essay

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The Role of Women in Judaism

Some say that the role of women in Judaism has been misrepresented and misunderstood. Today when people think of women's role in Judaism, they think of them as being of very low importance. Yet, threw the Halakha (Jewish laws) we are able to see how significant the role of women is in Judaism. There are many Jewish feminist leaders in today's society. This is because throughout the years of education and study of Judaism, the women learned that everyone must be respected. Within Judaism the women are considered to be on a separate level. They are on the world for one reason, and the men for another. Yet, within the religion they are considered as equals. In Judaism, God is not viewed as a male or female. …show more content…

They can do so privately without having to attend a public service. Most observant Jewish women usually attend the synagogue on Sabbaths and festival. Yet, their attendance is not a religious requirement. Therefore they may be regarded and less privileged then the males. Written in the Jewish scripts, it is understood that the men and women are not allowed to be together during prayer. In Orthodox Judaism, the men and women are usually in separate sections of the synagogue, and is often separated by a curtain, or in some cases even a wall. To the Jewish men, this is not a sexist act. It is solely done, so that the men would not be distracted by the women's beauty. For some this may seem chauvinistic, and unfair. But, as Judaism evolved, other segregations were formed. Within many of these new forms of Judaism, the Conservative and Reform Judaism was created. Both these forms of Judaism see women's role as being very different then the Orthodox view. However, the basic gender differentiation of traditional laws has created serious tensions in many sections of the Orthodox community. The Reform movement was created in the eighteenth-century Germany as an attempt to modernize the religion. Within this new form of Judaism, they have adapted many ideas from Christianity. The rabbi, or maybe even priest, can be male or female. This allows all females to be counted in all the rituals and prayers. They have introduced alternative

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